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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · track · game · arm · mine · charge · squash · hide

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. track — a song
  3. row — a line
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. row — to paddle
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — the sport
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. track — a path
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. track — to keep track
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com